Earlier this week, Dan released his Mount Rushmore piece. When I saw it, I told him that I had a couple in the can for when they made sense. Here is one of those that I’ve been holding back. Hope you enjoy!
In a franchise history filled with bold moves, lopsided trades, and calculated risks, the Houston Astros have made more than their fair share of headlines at the deadline—and beyond it. Some deals launched careers. Others mortgaged the future for a shot at October glory. A few were downright painful. But each trade on this list helped shape the trajectory of the team—for better or worse.
Here’s a look at the 20 most impactful trades in Astros history, with context, consequences, and the general manager behind each transaction. Yes, you’ll see a good one and then one that makes you want to spit–the good and the bad, all lumped together.
1. Jeff Bagwell for Larry Andersen (1990)
Trade Details: Astros acquired 3B Jeff Bagwell from the Red Sox in exchange for RP Larry Andersen.
GM: Bill Wood
Grade: A+
This will probably stand the test of time for best of all-time. Bagwell became a cornerstone of the franchise and a Hall of Famer. Andersen was a rental reliever for Boston. Still one of the most lopsided trades in MLB history.
2. Joe Morgan and others to Reds (1971)
Trade Details: Astros traded 2B Joe Morgan, OF César Gerónimo, and others to the Reds for 1B Lee May, 2B Tommy Helms, and OF Jimmy Stewart.
GM: Spec Richardson
Grade: D
Morgan went on to win back-to-back MVPs and anchor the Big Red Machine. The Astros got solid players—but lost a generational talent.
3. Yordan Alvarez for Josh Fields (2016)
Trade Details: Astros acquired OF Yordan Alvarez from the Dodgers for RP Josh Fields.
GM: Jeff Luhnow
Grade: A+
If Yordan somehow gets to the Hall, this one could challenge #1 for best all-time. Alvarez became a feared slugger and Rookie of the Year. Fields had a forgettable tenure in L.A.
4. Justin Verlander from Tigers (2017)
Trade Details: Astros acquired SP Justin Verlander for prospects Franklin Perez, Jake Rogers, and Daz Cameron.
GM: Jeff Luhnow
Grade: A+
Verlander helped deliver the 2017 title, then added another Cy Young and a second ring in 2022.
5. Randy Johnson from Mariners (1998)
Trade Details: Astros acquired SP Randy Johnson for Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillén, and John Halama.
GM: Gerry Hunsicker
Grade: C
Johnson was electric (10-1, 1.28 ERA) in his rental stint. But Garcia and Guillén became long-term contributors for Seattle.
6. Gerrit Cole from Pirates (2018)
Trade Details: Astros acquired SP Gerrit Cole for Joe Musgrove, Michael Feliz, Colin Moran, and Jason Martin.
GM: Jeff Luhnow
Grade: B+
Cole was dominant, especially in 2019. Musgrove later blossomed into an All-Star, but Houston won the short-term value.
7. Mike Scott for Danny Heep (1982)
Trade Details: Astros acquired SP Mike Scott from the Mets for OF Danny Heep.
GM: Tal Smith
Grade: A
I love this one because the Astros traded for him and didn’t trade him away, like so many other players. Scott’s 1986 Cy Young season and his no-hitter remain Astros lore. Heep was solid, but no game-changer.
8. Carlos Beltrán from Royals (2004)
Trade Details: Astros acquired OF Carlos Beltrán in a three-team deal involving Octavio Dotel and John Buck.
GM: Tim Purpura
Grade: B
Beltrán’s postseason was legendary—8 homers in 12 games. But his time in Houston was short-lived.
9. Ryan Pressly from Twins (2018)
Trade Details: Astros acquired RP Ryan Pressly for prospects Jorge Alcala and Gilberto Celestino.
GM: Jeff Luhnow
Grade: B
Pressly turned into a steady closer and two-time All-Star.
10. Kenny Lofton to Indians (1991)
Trade Details: Astros traded OF Kenny Lofton to the Indians for C Eddie Taubensee and RP Willie Blair.
GM: Bill Wood
Grade: D
It seems like Bill Wood’s trade were all or nothing, great or horrific. Lofton became one of the best leadoff hitters of his era. The Astros gave up on him too soon.
11. Curt Schilling to Phillies (1992)
Trade Details: Astros traded SP Curt Schilling to the Phillies for RP Jason Grimsley.
GM: Bill Wood
Grade: F
Schilling became a postseason ace and borderline Hall of Famer. Grimsley offered little in return.
12. Ken Caminiti and Steve Finley to Padres (1994)
Trade Details: Astros traded 3B Ken Caminiti, OF Steve Finley and others to the Padres for OF Derek Bell and OF Phil Plantier.
GM: Bob Watson
Grade: C-
Never did like this one! Caminiti won MVP. Finley became a Gold Glover. Bell was productive—but not for long.
13. Billy Wagner to Phillies (2003)
Trade Details: Astros traded RP Billy Wagner to the Phillies for SP Brandon Duckworth, SP Taylor Buchholz, and SP Ezequiel Astacio.
GM: Gerry Hunsicker
Grade: D-
Wagner thrived in Philly. None of the return made a lasting impact in Houston.
14. Zack Greinke from Diamondbacks (2019)
Trade Details: Astros acquired SP Zack Greinke for Seth Beer, J.B. Bukauskas, Corbin Martin, and Josh Rojas.
GM: Jeff Luhnow
Grade: C
Greinke was dependable in the regular season, less so in October. Rojas is still playing with the White Sox.
15. Kyle Tucker to Cubs (2024)
Trade Details: Astros traded OF Kyle Tucker to the Cubs for IF Isaac Paredes, RHP Hayden Wesneski, and 3B prospect Cam Smith.
GM: Dana Brown
Grade: Incomplete
Tucker’s hot start in Chicago stings. Paredes is producing. Smith looks promising. Wesneski is out for the year. Too early to call.
16. Schilling, Finley and Harnisch for Glenn Davis (1991)
Trade Details: Astros acquired Schilling, Finley, and Harnisch from Orioles for 1B Glenn Davis.
GM: Bill Wood
Grade: A
All three helped Houston. Davis struggled in Baltimore. A major win for the Astros.
17. Don Sutton for Kevin Bass and Frank DiPino (1982)
Trade Details: Astros traded SP Don Sutton to the Brewers for OF Kevin Bass and RP Frank DiPino.
GM: Tal Smith
Grade: B
Bass was an All-Star in 1986. DiPino had solid years. Sutton was at the tail end of his career.
18. John Mayberry to Royals (1971)
Trade Details: Astros traded 1B John Mayberry to the Royals for RP Jim York and SP Lance Clemons.
GM: Spec Richardson
Grade: F
Mayberry became a feared slugger. The return didn’t move the needle.
19. Mike Cuellar to Baltimore (1976).
Trade Details: Elijah Johnson (minors) and Enzo Hernández to the Baltimore Orioles for John Mason (minors) and Curt Blefary.
GM: Spec Richardson
Grade: F
Cuellar became a star in Baltimore and Blefary stayed in Houston one season before being traded to the Yankees for Joe Pepitone.
20. Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to Phillies (2007)
Trade Details: Astros traded RP Brad Lidge and IF Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies for OF Michael Bourn, RP Geoff Geary, and 3B Mike Costanzo.
GM: Ed Wade
Grade: C-
Lidge helped win a title in Philly. Bourn brought speed to Houston. Mixed results overall.
Final Thoughts.
The Astros have had some undeniable hits—and some gut-punch misses—when it comes to the trade market. But the franchise’s willingness to take bold swings has kept it in the national conversation for decades.
With the 2025 trade deadline approaching, one has to wonder… will the next Bagwell, Alvarez, or Verlander be just one phone call away?
Let’s Talk About It:
- Which of these trades still haunts you—or excites you—today?
- Do you think the Kyle Tucker deal will eventually swing in Houston’s favor?
- Which Astros’ GM made the most impactful moves overall?
- If you could undo one trade, which would it be?
- What kind of deal would you like to see Dana Brown make at the 2025 deadline?
ALL THINGS ASTROS 
18 responses to “Updated: The 20 most impactful trades in Astros’ history”
I never liked trading Johnny Ray for Phil Garner. I’ve heard it said that Garner provided intangibles like veteran leadership, but Ray was younger, faster, a better hitter & fielder. I think he would have been an All-Star if we kept him. The Astrodome was a perfect match for the type of player he was.
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I appreciate all the effort you put into this, Chip.
A few trades I’ll throw out there that I thought might be Top 20 impactful:
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Shoot, I missed the Cuellar deal. I have always thought that was one of the worst and included in a similar piece 18-20 years ago in the original Astros’ blog on chron.com.
Cuellar was 31 years old when Spec traded him, so you could argue his best years were behind him, especially in that era. In fact, one of the best years of his career WAS in Houston in 1966 when he posted that 2.22 ERA and 5.7 WAR (his best ever, including years in Baltimore).
Cuellar, as you know, was one of the four 20-game winners in Baltimore in 1971 (Cueller, Dave McNally, Jim Palmer and Pat Dobson). We’ll never see that again!
One other note: The Staub and Cuellar trades happened about a month apart, so Spec was on a roll! Spec was good at the “roll” thing: The Morgan and Mayberry trades were only a few DAYS apart in 1971.
Oh..one other note: Cuellar made his debut on my birthday, just a few hours after I was born on April 18, 1959.
One FINAL note: Spec wasn’t the only one who gave up on Cuellar. He was originally signed by the Cincinnat Redlegs, then traded to Cleveland, then to St. Louis, who ultimately traded him to Houston in a deal that included Hal Woodeshick, an original Astro.
–30–
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I do believe that “Spec” was the worst GM this team has ever had and would probably be competitive for the worst in all baseball history.
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Nice to get a win last night. I just finished the condensed game and I can’t believe what Altuve did in the 9th to get tagged out in that double play. If I were Espada I’d sit him down for a couple of games. It really looked like he didn’t give a damn. We might have gotten a run out of it if he’d done the right thing. His base running prowess (not) leaves a lot to desire if you know what I mean. He’s run into several outs and gotten picked off a couple of time this year also, I think two at second base.
Congratulation to Gordon on his 1st win, JP just keeps on hitting and playing good defense, and Rogers finally gets a hit, be it a dinger. Bull pen also does their job again.
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Another gritty, not always pretty win by our Astros.
I’d like to check the umpire score on Saturday’s afternoon game, as I don’t think all those badly called pitches evened out. But it seems that pitchers and dugouts are becoming more resigned to badly called games.
Frenchie and Jose continued to swing at stuff way, way off the plate. And yet, we pushed enough runs across the plate to win the game.
For me, Dubin is a time bomb. He gave up the dinger to one of the best hitters in MLB and yet finished the inning and then came back out and put up a zero in the 7th.. Those were big outs.
And then the lefties came in.
And then our clutch dead pull hitter put a ball down the right field line to give us a two run lead.
Sousa came out for the bottom of the 10th and proceeded to get four outs without letting Manfred’s guy on second score. It’s got to be deflating to throw a perfect strike three to end a game and the umpire calls it a ball four instead. Great composure in getting that last out twice.
The Astros have already won their second consecutive road series in a row. We’re now 3-0 in extra inning games. With today’s limited pen availability, a win would be a real, somewhat unexpected bonus. We’re 3.5 games up.
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Another factor to these trades is considering whether they were made trying to fill an immediate need, get quantity over current quality, or simply for change of scenery reasons. Getting Randy Johnson, JV, and Beltran were crucial moves. Getting Greinke, Scott Kazmir, the Brewers players Dan mentioned, and a number of others were aimed at filling perceived needs by the front office, but given how the players received performed you can argue none were necessary. I’m undecided how I feel about trades moving payroll or players you know you won’t resign. It’s too hard to separate whether I’m supporting those trades with the logical part of my brain or condemning them because the other part is focused on losing some player or other that has been a long time favorite.
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Well, it’s happened: Astros DFA Forrest Whitley. Will he be released, traded or eventually back to the minors for Houston?
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I will be really surprised if he’s traded, because his value has to be very low.
But I think someone will sign him to a minor league contract after he’s released.
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With virtually no MLB service time the Astros could retain him in the minors if he clears waivers.
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Don’t you wish we had a crystal ball back when everyone wanted FW and we developed a no trade policy. Proves things don’t always work out like you think, especially in baseball. Best of luck to him in the future.
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Yeah the team stood firm on not trading Forrest Whitley but also on not trading Kyle Tucker back in the day. One was the right choice the other was not. What can you say?
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I’m guessing someone will pick him up, but as Dan noted, his value has to be very low. I’m sure the Astros have tried to move him for something.
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Walter did a heck of a job today. I’m not sure if it’s something he can maintain though.
A 4-2 trip adds up to a good week. If the Astros can win more than they lose on the road, that will get them into the post season.
I do hope a few more guys start hitting regularly though. Our expectations of the pen are lofty at this point.
Jacob Melton is certainly a good athlete. I love guys running around stealing bases and making diving catches. Will he hit enough though?
Aaron Brown has given up 16 homers in 46.2 innings at Sugar Land. Is he rounding out the rotation? If Walter goes down again, Nick Hernandez could replace Whitley.
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Not sure the plans for the next 14. No off days. LMJ is listed for Tuesday and Sunday. Could Walter pitch Sunday and give them one more day to push them all down? I don’t like the idea of Walter, Gordon and Gusto making half the starts. Maybe sticking to a 5 man is better.
Whitley has always shown below average command. He was throwing 99. Now he is throwing 96. He could be claimed by a team that can’t find 8 arms to put in a bullpen, but if he isn’t, staying in Houston’s system is something that could happen. He knows them, they know him, and he has to know he is just 25-30 good innings at SL from getting back. Whatever mechanical hiccups he has that makes him unable to locate he needs to figure out though, he has a major league arm its the rest that is missing, and those issues are fixable.
The Astros might need help in the rotation when all is said and done. Maybe a returning Arrighetti will be the shot in the arm that works like a trade deadline acquisition. Would be great if in August the Astros keep everyone that is going now upright and add one of Javier and Garcia with Spencer to push Gusto and Gordon back to depth.
Fun fact, according to Ospta stats, exactly 90 times now through major league history has a pitcher started 13 games and had an ERA under 2.10 with 80+ strikeouts, with two of those coming this year from our own Hunter Brown and Paul Skeenes. Skeenes is the only one of those 90 to have a losing record. He can’t be terribly happy about that. Amazingly Bubic, Senga and Eovaldi can make it 5 with even just decent starts in their next ones. Thats how you know baseball has shifted to a pitching dominant game, 88 times in history coming into this year might be done 5 times. Skeenes will still be the only one with a losing record.
Speaking of the year to year pitching nowheres. Skubal kind of just came out of nowhere unless you were a Tigers fan last year. So did Crochet. This year I still don’t know who the heck Kris Bubic is. No one is surprised to see Max Fried dominating, but Nathan Eovaldi? Good, sure, dominating though? We knew Hunter Brown had this kind of arm, but did the rest of the league? To them, he is probably coming out of nowhere. All of a sudden, at 30, Tyler Mahle is pitching like a star. Pitching can be so volatile. The Giants couldn’t give him away – but its the year of the return of Robbie Ray (guess Yordan didn’t end his career?). Kodai Senga went from being a bad contract to Cy Young contender. Who knows.
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Opta Stats! Thanks for the hook up Steven. I love quirky stats.
It’s possible the Astros would just rather move on from Forrest after 9 plus years.
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Since this may be a reference point in years to come, I’ve updated this list to show the Cuellar trade and removed a trade that didn’t actually happen.
Cuellar is #19 on the list.
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Since we are talking trades – as we get near the deadline the articles from these websites that you never heard of start popping up. One name keeps showing up in these articles as an Astros trade chip – Miguel Ullola. The Astros don’t have many prospects, particularly pitching prospects, that are under the average age of their level and performing well. We know the kid has an electric fastball. We also know like a bolt of lightning it doesn’t take a straight route to the plate and can end up anywhere. Sometimes electric arms with command issues become the next Randy Johnson. Sometimes they end up out of baseball after a cup of coffee.
One name that keeps coming up is Ryan O’Hearn. Now, I don’t want to splash water on O’Hearn, but lets be honest. He is 31. Kansas City pretty much gave up on him. Now he is having a career year. Maybe he just figured something out. He is a lefty bat the Astros could use. But he would have no position in Houston, unless you wanted to try and play him in LF where he is a statistical nightmare as a defender. And it would be a pure rental as he enters FA this year. Don’t get me wrong, if they were tossing O’Hearn my way for A.J. Blubaugh I’m probably taking that. But I like Ullola. I don’t know that he will be a big league starter. That depends on his ability to throw strikes, but I can tell you arms like his don’t come along everyday. Blubaugh doesn’t have that arm. Neither does Gordon. Neither does Gusto. Neither does France. Or even Garcia (maybe at his very best but Luis is not coming back from injury throwing 97). Ullola is on par with the Javiers, Browns, Frambers when it comes to arm talent. I would like to wait and see.
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